Touching! “My daddy is not around” – late Bambino’s 6-year-old daughter tells visitors
By Temitope Ojo
These were the words innocent six-year-old, Amanda, daughter of the late actor, producer, comedian, compere, Chukwudi Bambino Anaechina told visitors when they came visiting her mother.
Oblivious of the fact that her dotting father is no more, on sighting her father’s best friend, Chukky Egbu in company of some known and unknown faces in their Surulere residence, Little Amanda Anaechina playing outside ran to meet Chukky to tell him that her father had gone out.
Even when the visitors with solemn faces expressed their sympathy to her mother, Chioma Anaechina, Amanda looked on as if she understood what was being said.
As with kids of her age, the child who is a cabon-copy of her father dozed off in her chair.
Explaining how her husband died to the visitors who were members of the Actors Guild of Nigeria (AGN), led by Matthew Nwankwo (Special Assistant to AGN President on Electronic Media and a family friend to the Anechinas) beautiful fair complexioned Chioma who is as tall as her late husband said: “ My husband has been suffering from stroke before now. When he came back on that Friday, he said his tummy is disturbing him. I touched his tummy, it was stiff and I immediately called our doctor who asked me to get a particular drug for him. He took it and felt good. At about 2.30am, he started complaining and with his situation, we had to rush him to a hospital here in Aguda. Oxygen was put on him. After three hours of those he sat up and asked me to give him water which I did. All of a sudden his eyes changed and his knees buckled, I quickly alerted the doctor who rushed in, we couldn’t carry him back to his bed. Then the doctor asked me to go out. After like two minutes he came out and asked to see any of his brothers. I knew that it had happened.”
She revealed that the corpse of the late thespian has been deposited in the morgue in his hometown close to Awka in Anambra State.
It was gathered that the family is having a meeting for his burial.
Already, President of Actors Guild, Mr. Ejezie Emeka Rollas has constituted a burial committee that would work with the family to give the late Chukwudi Bambino Anaechina a befitting burial.
Others at the Anaechinas included Ifeoma Okeke, Mrs. Nwankwo, Ijeoma Imoh, Cornel Udofia, Joseph Onyenweuzo among others.